Hello,
Personally I really enjoy sailboat racing. I race casually on my boat and more seriously on a friend's boat.
How I put this gently?
SAILBOAT RACING IS NOT FOR NORMAL PEOPLE.
Admit it.
What normal person would find 'racing' in 5 kts fun? You may be out on a typical weeknight race that takes an hour or two. In light air you must admit it is not very exciting. Then if it's blowing, say over 20, it can be scary and dangerous. It can be very hot in the summer, pouring rain, or dark and cold (especially on distance races).
On a typical racing boat there are 4-6 people. If you are a headsail trimmer MOST of time you do nothing except sit where the captain tells you. Every once in a while you have frantic effort to tack the sail. Then it's back to sitting. Sure, downwind there is the spinnaker to set, trim and dice. Except that in light air everything must be done super smoothly and slowly.
That my friends is why sail boat racing is not very popular in the USA. Watching a race? BORING. I try to watch races but I always fall asleep.
Now, when the conditions are just right, say 10 kts of wind, and moderate temperatures, just about ANYONE would enjoy sailboat racing. Unfortunately (at least around here) we don't get those conditions too often.
It takes a special person to understand and enjoy sailboat racing. The enjoyment you get when you can trim the sail just right so that your boat is outpointing the competition, and with good boat speed too. The satisfaction you get when you recognize a wind shift before the rest of the fleet and take advantage of it to get to the windward mark first. The simple thrill of a well done tack, when everyone does their job correctly and the boat barely slows down.
Personally, one of the reasons I really like sailboat racing is that a team of old (50+) guys can be competitive against anyone. Where the strategy is at least as important as the actual sail maneuvers. Where (on a good boat) everyone gets to contribute on tactics and observations. And oh yeah, there are good parties after the big regattas.
Barry